[Burney, Frances.]

12mo (170 x 100mm.), 5 volumes, first edition, list of subscribers, advertisement leaf at end of volume one, contemporary sprinkled calf, flat spine tooled gilt in compartments, red morocco labels, yellow edges

Rothschild 550; Sterling 101

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, when appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A fine copy of Burney's self-proclaimed "grand ouvrage".

"An elaborate subscription campaign was mounted, with the help of leading figures in society including Frances Boscawen, Frances Crewe, and Frederica Lock. Three hundred subscribers at a guinea and a half for the three volumes included great national potentates and church dignitaries, with many multiple sets listed (fifteen for Burke, and ten for Elizabeth Montagu). The bluestockings were present in numbers, along with surviving members of the Johnson circle like Bennet Langton; even Hester Thrale, by now thoroughly removed from Frances, entered her name. Other women writers among the subscribers were Anne Radcliffe, Hannah More, Maria Edgeworth, and Jane Austen, then an unknown twenty-year-old, who thus publicly announced her discipleship to Frances for the first time" (Oxford DNB).